Heater apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020406712-A1
Application number	US-202017015459-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 9, 2020
Priority date	Mar 13, 2018
Publication date	Dec 31, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A heater apparatus includes a heat generating unit, an outer surface, a temperature sensor and a detection unit. A first control portion of an electronic control unit controls temperature of the heat generating unit in such a way that it stops or reduces electric power supply to the heat generating unit, when it determines that an object has been brought into contact with a first region of the outer surface. A second control portion of the electronic control unit controls the temperature of the heat generating unit depending on a detected temperature of the temperature sensor. A third control portion of the electronic control unit controls the temperature of the heat generating unit in such a way that it stops or reduces the electric power supply to the heat generating unit, when it determines that the object has been brought into contact with a second region of the outer surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A heater apparatus comprising:
a heat generating unit for generating heat upon receiving electric power supply; an outer surface for radiating the heat of the heat generating unit; a detection unit for detecting whether or not an object has been brought into contact with the outer surface; a first control portion for determining based on detection of the detection unit whether or not the object has been brought into contact with a first region of the outer surface, which overlaps with the detection unit in a first direction,
wherein a direction for connecting the heat generating unit to the outer surface is defined as the first direction, and
wherein, when the first control portion determines that the object has been brought into contact with the first region, the first control portion terminates the electric power supply to the heat generating unit or makes an amount of the electric power supply to the heat generating unit smaller than that of a case in which the first control portion does not determine that the object has been brought into contact with the first region;
a temperature sensor, which is arranged at a position being offset from the detection unit in a second direction and which detects temperature of the heat generating unit, wherein a direction perpendicular to the first direction is defined as a second direction; a second control portion for controlling the temperature of the heat generating unit based on a detected temperature of the temperature sensor; and a third control portion for determining based on the detected temperature of the temperature sensor whether or not the object has been brought into contact with a second region of the outer surface, which overlaps with the temperature sensor in the first direction, wherein, when the third control portion determines that the object has been brought into contact with the second region, the third control portion makes the amount of the electric power supply to the heat generating unit smaller than that of a case in which the third control portion determines that the object is not brought into contact with the second region, or the third control portion terminates the electric power supply to the heat generating unit.

2 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the detection unit is located on a side of the heat generating unit opposite to the outer surface.

3 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature sensor is located in such a way that it overlaps with the heat generating unit in the first direction.

4 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature sensor is exposed to an outside of the heater apparatus in the first direction opposite to the outer surface.

5 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an electronic control unit having the first control portion, the second control portion and the third control portion; an insulating substrate made of electrical insulating material, to which the temperature sensor, the detection unit and the heat generating unit are mounted; sensor electrodes for transmitting a detection signal of the temperature sensor to the electronic control unit; and detection electrodes for transmitting a detection signal of the detection unit to the electronic control unit, wherein the insulating substrate, the heat generating unit, the sensor electrodes and the detection electrodes are formed as one integral product.

6 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the detection unit forms a switch, which is turned on when the object is brought into contact with the first region and which is turned off when the object is separated from the first region.

7 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an electronic control unit having the first control portion, the second control portion and the third control portion; an insulating substrate made of electrical insulating material, to which the temperature sensor, the detection unit and the heat generating unit are mounted; and sensor electrodes for transmitting a detection signal of the temperature sensor to the electronic control unit, wherein the insulating substrate, the heat generating unit, the sensor electrodes and the detection unit are formed as one integral product.

8 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the detection unit detects that the object has been brought into contact with the first region by a change of electrostatic capacitance.

9 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature sensor corresponds to a first temperature sensor, the heater apparatus further comprises one second temperature sensor or more than one second temperature sensors, which is or are offset in the second direction from the first temperature sensor and the detection unit, the third control portion determines whether or not the object has been brought into contact with the second region, by determining whether or not a temperature difference between a detected temperature of the first temperature sensor and a detected temperature of the second temperature sensor is larger than a threshold temperature.

10 . The heater apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the insulating substrate is located between the temperature sensor and the heat generating unit and between the detection unit and the heat generating unit.

11 . The heater apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the insulating substrate is formed in a thin film form, and the temperature sensor, the detection unit and the heat generating unit are formed on only one of the sides of the insulating substrate in its thickness direction.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Tanaka Yusuke
• Ishikawa Kimitake
• Seki Hideki
• Yamadaki Hirokazu
• Domon Tatsushi

Classifications

• F24C7/043

  Stoves · CPC title

• H05B3/26

  heating conductor mounted on insulating base {(for transparent areas H05B3/84, H05B3/86)} · CPC title

• H05B1/0236

  for vehicles · CPC title

• B60H2001/2231

  for proper or safe operation of the heater · CPC title

• B60H2001/2293

  Integration into other parts of a vehicle · CPC title